Wednesday, 12 December 2012

Starting with optical fibres made from glass, the research team injected n-, i- and p-type silicon into the fibre using a process called high-pressure chemical vapour deposition. Essentially turning the new composite into a solar cell, these silicon-enhanced threads use the same photovoltaic effect that their 2D-cousins use – but the 3D tubular shape of the these fibre-optic versions intrinsically allows a more efficient capture, as it doesn’t matter which way the cell is facing or how it’s positioned.